Sunday Night Reflections

• What a great day of worship today - the new song truly rocked!
• Another person joined the PBCC family today; welcome Keron!
• The key to biblical followership is mutual submission.
• Yes we did play a round of "Simon Says" in worship today.
• Officiated at a wedding Saturday - Love makes you do some amazing things, like lip syncing James Taylor to your new bride; way to go Gary.
• Attended a good congregational meeting this evening; the closing prayer circle was really powerful - I love this church!
• I am so proud of the PBCC family today, several families went to Titusville to pay their final respects to our first minister on Saturday - PBCC loves their preachers.
• Next Sunday I will be sharing my vision for Easter Sunday - I hope you will be a part of it!
• I hope all of us get the decrease/increase formula down - without it we will never move away from our agenda to God's agenda.
• Based on what I have seen lately, I don't know what we would do without the gift of prayer.
• I am imagining the possibilities of a debt free church.
• How can the Olympics be over, I was just starting to understand curling.

Books Part 2

In my last blog I shared my affection for books. One of the frustrations I had with reading was trying to find a good way of filing or remembering what was notable in a book I had read. However, all that changed in 1998 when I attended my first John Maxwell Leadership conference. During the conference John gave a talk on the need for a personal growth plan. In the talk he shared how he filed information from the books he read. In the front cover of his books he writes a one line note about the information in the book; Listed below is a sample;

• p (page) 47, The need for leaders
• p (page) 51, The leaders priorities
• p (page) 56, Leaders quote re; excellence

Next he puts a symbol by the quote in the text of the book for a quick reference, then the book is given to the assistant to transcribe the notes and file them away.

I use the same system and it has been a great tip to record illustrations as well as recall what is in a specific book.

I hope this tip has been helpful, it was a great benefit to me 12+ years ago and I am very appreciative for John's tip.

Books Part 1

My mother gave me my old report cards from elementary school the other day. I have to admit they were a little amusing. There were comments like; Alan does not play well with others, Alan needs to stay on task, Alan needs to improve in citizenship, etc. After reading the comments I felt like I needed to look up my former grade school teachers and apologize. There was one comment I found extremely interesting; Alan does not like to read. Wow, if my former teachers could see me now. I am an avid reader today. I read books for sermon preparation, inspiration and at times for entertainment. I have a personal library of over 1,200 books and I am always adding to my collection. While studying for the ministry at Florida Christian College, I remember one of my professors challenged our class to be a lifelong readers. One of my seminary professors at Kentucky Christian University told us you can tell when a minister's mind died by the age of his library. That statement has always haunted me. If we are going to serve fresh bread to our congregations we must be avid readers. Listed below are a few books I am currently reading...

Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan

Fearless by Max Lucado

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

Books I will be reading next...

Eats with Sinners by Arron Chambers

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

Tomorrow I will share how I keep notes on what I read.

Bt the way, what are you reading right now that I should know about?

Farewell and Welcome Home

This week our church family said good bye to a former minister. Clark Scott served as minister at PBCC for 20 years. Under his leadership, the church was involved in 3 building programs, he preached hundreds of messages and was loved by the congregation dearly. I for one am grateful for his ministry at PBCC. One of our members said of Clark he was a true pastor of a preacher. Clark loved people and it was evident by the influence he made in people's lives. I spoke with Clark back in December and the one thing I remember about our conversation was the way he loved to laugh. Even with death at hand Clark knew how to laugh. Clark really had a handle on this life. He knew this life is only temporary. James said our life on earth is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. Clark lived not for his farewell from this life, but to hear "Welcome Home" from his heavenly father. Today Clark is hearing the words we all want to hear - Welcome Home! May we all honor Clark by living in such a way, so one day we will hear those words as well.

Ministry & Friendship

Today I traveled to Plant City, FL to meet several friend who were part of my ministry at New Hope Christian Church in Anderson Indiana back in the 80's. All in all there were 22 people gathered from our ministry. We shared updates about our kids, reminisced about our ministry together and marveled at what we are doing in this season of life. We also did quite a bit of damage to the Parkesdale Farmer's Market - they have some of the best strawberries in Florida, If you go, be sure to order a #2 - GOOD STUFF!

As we were leaving Parkesdale, I could not help but think of how fortunate Kathy and I have been to know so many different people through our years of ministry. Through the years we have known farmers, entrepreneurs, CPA's, salesmen, home makers, secretaries, coaches, factory workers, hairdressers, auto mechanics, retirees, managers, electricians, veterinarians, ranchers, preachers, teachers, lifeguards, grandparents, Disney employees and pilots just to name a few of our friends. While we have a variety of friends and a variety of experiences - We have one item in common with our friends, we share a common bond in Jesus Christ. I can honestly say without this common bond, I would have fewer friends, and honestly that would be a tragedy. This week why not take inventory of the friends you have because of the common bond of Jesus Christ. I am sure you will count your life blessed as well.

Sunday Night Reflections

• Worship band did a great job today - the video during the invitation time was very moving.
• It is my prayer heaven always rejoices because of PBCC and hell is always afraid of PBCC.
• Wrap up the leadership series next week with the responsibility of followers. Should be a good one.
• Thank you sound team for getting me wired again - I am always more comfortable away from the pulpit then behind it - way to go Steve and Zack!
• I believe some good things are on the horizon for PBCC.
• The more I study the topic of biblical leadership, the more I appreciate God's idea for elders in the local church.
• Remember the difference between the world's idea of leadership and the church comes down to two ideas - Worldly Leadership focuses on results, Biblical leadership focuses on relationships.
• On a personal note, I am amazed how much I dislike cold weather - we have been in the 50's for almost a month and I am tired of it - and sorry to my friends in the north, I guess it is just perspective.
• For me this is the worst part of the sporting year. I miss college football.
• Tomorrow I am having fresh strawberries in Plant City with 16 friends from a church I served 20 years ago - friendships in the Lord are always precious.

Pastoral Ministry and Technology

The last few days our church has received some very bad news about a two people our church family cares about deeply, one was in an automobile accident and one has called hospice to the home as he is facing his final days. While our church has reached out with personal visits, phone calls and cards, there is a need to keep up with both of these situations without being a burden to the families who are both physically and emotionally drained. Enter caringbridge.org and carepages.com both of these sites allow family members to post updates about their loved ones and keep the body of Christ updated through email alerts. This is a fantastic ministry for the local church, and I am very appreciative for those who are creative with the use of technology for the cause of Christ. In this ever chaging world let us embrace new technology that will help us to minister to one another.

Thinking about the Olympics and Preparation

I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics these past few days. Especially the Half Pipe. I am amazed at how these athletes push themselves for an opportunity to win the gold medal. Standing on the platform as your national anthem is played must be one of the greatest experiences of all time for these athletes. While watching the games has been great, there has been another part of the Olympics that has really peaked my interest; the "back stories" on how the athletes got to this point in their life. In almost every athlete's story there are two aspects to their life; the dedication of the people in their lives i.e. parents, spouses, coaches etc. and the amount of preparation it takes to be the best in the world. I could not help but think how much time do we take to prepare to meet our King each Sunday.

Our worship team meets on Saturday mornings, I have mentioned on another post my sermon preparation for Sundays and I know our Sunday School teachers and leaders prepare for Sunday. But how do we personally prepare for worship each Sunday? Let me suggest it begins before Sunday morning. Let me suggest a few ways we can prepare to meet our King in worship...

1. Come Rested - many times nothing much happens on Sunday morning worship, because too much happened on on Saturday evening. It is important to come to worship rested so we can receive the most out of our worship time. I personally don't like to be out too late on Saturday evenings, our family tries to be home by 9:00 p.m. so we can be ready for Sunday.
2. Come Ready - If you do not expect to much to happen in worship chances are nothing will. However When we come to worship with an expectation, often times we leave with a sense of awe because we have encountered the living God.
3. Come Remembering - remember worship is not for you, but worship is for God. Remember why we gather to worship 1 Chronicles 16:29 reminds us, Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name...worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.

While it is exciting to watch the athletes compete in the Olympics, our thrill should come from the thought that every Sunday we have an opportunity to worship the Living God, may we prepare even more diligently than the athletes of the Olympics!

Small Groups

Our small group meeting ended about 30 minutes ago, but our group just left the house about 5 minutes ago. Our group has been meeting for about 2 years, during that time we have studied books by John Ortberg, Bob Russell and of course a Bible Study or two. What makes our group so unique is the variety of people who make up our group.

When we started 2 years ago, I thought this group of people has very little in common, but like most small groups, time has a way of building relationships and fostering genuine community.

For PBCC small groups is not simply a program we offer, it is an essential building block of our church for spiritual growth and genuine community.

Four years ago our leaders decided to become very intentional about small groups. One of our leaders has been instrumental in keeping our groups going by training leaders and plugging people into a group. Currently we have 14 groups meeting in our small groups ministry. Each group has a different study. Some study books of the Bible others study Christian authors, such as Lucado, Ortberg, etc.This individuality allows us to meet a variety of needs and gives us many avenues to grow spiritually.

We have a slogan for our small groups - a place where no one walks alone. Our goal is for our church to experience the fellowship and spiritual growth that comes from genuine community of a small group. If you are not involved in a small group, please let me know, I would love to help you connect with our small group ministry.

To find out more about our small group ministry check out our website.

Sermon Writing

This month I am in a series of messages regarding church leadership entitled Leadership 101. This is the first time I have preached a series on leadership at PBCC.

In particular I looking at the role of elders in the local church. I have to admit it has been an interesting study, not because I am preaching, but because of what God is revealing to me through my study. There are two books that have really influenced my preaching on this vital subject, Lynn Anderson's, "They Smell Like Sheep" and Henry & Richard Blackaby's, "Spiritual Leadership" both books have helped me to reexamine the role of leaders in the local church.

Once again I am reminded why I enjoy preaching so much, Because not only am I preparing a message for Sunday, God is preparing me through my time in the study. I have to admit I have had more than enough material for this series. in fact I started out with a 4 part series and I could go a couple more weeks preaching on this subject. But I have found that series much longer then 4 weeks are a little too tedious for the congregation, so I guess this means next year I will preach a second series on leadership entitled Leadership 2.0.

Grief & Loss

Our family experienced both grief and loss this past Sunday. Our pet dog, Angel was attacked by a Pit Bull Sunday evening. After a rush to the emergency vet, it was decided the wounds to Angel were too severe to repair. Thus we had to make the decision to "put her down." I could not believe how difficult it was to make that decision. After all she was a only a pet; a pet that had spent 9 years in the Tison family. But what I soon learned is that anytime someone or something spends long time with you, there becomes an attachment that when removed brings a great deal of grief and loss. Today we are beginning the process of living without our Angel. Many of our friends have called us to say how sorry they were to hear about our loss. We even had a couple of people stop by the house to express concern. Out of our grief and loss I have learned a few lessons that are applicable to all of us.

• Grief and Loss are common to all of us. No one will go through this life without experiencing some type of grief and loss. Job 5:7, reminds us, man is born to trouble as surly as sparks fly upward. Because grief and loss are common to all of us we must realize we are not except from troubles in this life, but know that the grief and loss of this world is only temporary and we serve one who is the great overcomer of every type of grief and loss. Jesus reminded his disciples, In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world. John 16:33.


• Because grief and loss are common to all of us, the second lesson we can learn is we are to use our grief and loss to help others. 2 Cor. 1:3-4, Praise be to our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of Compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. When we we receive comfort in our time of grief and loss we are to use our experiences to help others when they face their time of grief and loss. This is God's great exchange program we receive comfort in our time of grief, so we can help others in their time of grief.


• Grief and loss are not final nor fatal, While our family is saddened by the loss of our pet, we know time will heal the wounds and hurt we are experiencing. God has given us the ability to move away from our grief and he replaces our grief with dancing. Psalm 30:11 Knowing this we can rejoice with the blessings God gives us everyday.

On a personal note I am so very thankful for all who have called about our loss, we have truly appreciated your kindness.

Sunday Night Reflections

• 1 more person stirred the baptismal waters today - wow!
• I am so glad for the elders at PBCC - they had servant heart's today!
• If you missed Kerwin's communion thoughts today - you missed a good one.
• When a crisis happens there is no greater army that moves into action like the church.
• Never underestimate the power of prayer warriors.
• Ever have one of those days when EVERYTHING goes wrong? I did today and in stunk!
• When you are tired and hungry, nothing taste as good as oreo's and milk.

• Short reflections - stressful day, more later.

Youth Ministry

As I am writing this post, our Ignite Student Ministry is busy transforming our Family Life Center into a banquet room for our church's Valentine's Party. The night will have an Italian theme, which means spaghetti, salad, bread sticks and the works. There will be a DJ on site for those brave souls who want to dance or simply sway with the music. Everyone attending will receive a commemorative picture of the evening. Believe me these kids are going all out! At PBCC I am amazed at the caliber of youth people in our student ministry. From my first interaction with the youth ministry at PBCC 5 years ago, I marveled at the way they respected adults, cared for one another and were willing to help out both in the church and in the community. Now before I nominate this group of kids for sainthood, let me also say they are loud, full of energy and at times a little over the top. After all they are teens. Having served in youth ministry for 17 years, I have seen all kinds of teens come through the church. I can speak from experience, this group of kids is great and I think it is a credit to both their parents and our youth workers. It is true what they say, the apple does not fall from the tree. I tip my hat to the adults who realize teens are our Number 1 natural resource, and investing in kids is the best way we can shape the next generation. So Parents and Youth Coaches - Keep it up; your efforts are paying off!

By the Way; Knowing the caliber of the kids in our student ministry I can honestly say I am looking forward to tonight's banquet. PASS THE PARMENSAN CHEESE!

New Website

We launch our new website on Monday, February 15. If you take a peek at http://www.pbcconline.org/ you will see we have made more than a few changes from our previous site.

• We changed our URL.
• We have more storage space to archive sermons.
• A section for personal Bible Study.
• We have added a calendar, more pics, blogs from the staff and other helpful information.
• We have made the site more seeker friendly, as well as informative for our members.

Changing our site did not just happen. First there was a "God thing" when one of our regular attendees spoke with me about our website ministry in January. He brought his expertise regarding websites into the the discussion with our staff. Our staff met several times to discuss the new site. Before we unveiled the new site, we asked a few ministry friends to look at the new site from their perspective. What you see today is a finished (although it will be ever changing) product that we hope we will be a benefit to the congregation and to those who are seeking a church in Palm Bay. The staff and I are very appreciative of the work John Nice put in to make a website a useful tool for PBCC.

Too often we think we need nursery workers, children's workers, communion servers and all the other ordinary things to do a church service (and we do). However, our website is just one more reminder people can use a variety of talents to advance the kingdom. More and more people are checking out a church's website before they visit on Sunday. By taking the talents of one person we are able to reach others before they ever step foot on our campus.

I wonder what talents you may have that will advance the kingdom?

Sermon Preparation

I love preaching! Each week I produce a 10-13 page manuscript that comes from my study of God's word that I in turn preach on Sunday mornings. Listed below is the method I use for my weekly sermon preparation.

1. I try to listen to 3-4 sermons each week, I want to hear what other preachers are saying.
2. I almost always preach in 4-5 week series, this keeps me from preaching on my favorite subjects or getting in to a rut. (I am so grateful for the Internet and podcasts)
3. I spend about two days each week dedicated to sermon preparation, one of those days is Wednesday, which is my sermon writing day.
4. I spend time about an hour and half each Saturday evening preaching my sermon out loud in our worship center (It feels kind of awkward preaching to an empty room, but it really helps me on Sundays if I rehearse on Saturday nights.)

While the above steps help me in my preparation, what I find most beneficial in sermon preparation is the ability to have large chunks of interrupted time to prepare. At PBCC this happens because of two factors.

First, my congregation knows the importance of preparation and they give me adequate time to prepare.

Second, my administrative assistant does an excellent job shielding me from interruptions on Wednesdays.

To be honest these two factors makes sermon preparation a joy. If you are a preacher I hope you have the luxury of uninterrupted quite time to prepare your messages, and if you are a listener of sermons, I hope you will give your preacher the gift of uninterrupted quite time - believe it makes a difference when you are trying to prepare "fresh bread".

My Favorite Verse

I cannot seem to get Jeremiah 15:19, out of my head - This is how the Lord responds; "If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them, do not let them influence you."

Each part of this verse has a "give and take" to it;

• If you return - I will restore
• If you speak good words - you will be my spokesman
• Influence them - do not let them influence you

Scripture is full of give and takes; you want to be first, then be last, you want to live, then die, you want to be served then serve others! Over and over again God calls us to do something with our lives. Our faith is not to be passive, but active. An active faith makes the difference in our life and in the lives of others. The prophet Jeremiah was able to be an influence because he was actively doing the will of God. This week you have a choice; will you be influenced or will you be the one who influences others - it all depends on how you live out your faith; actively or passively. May you live out your faith actively this week!

Underdogs

Everywhere you look people are jumping on the Saint's bandwagon. This has got to be the feel good story of the year. According to everything I read, the Saints did not have a chance to win. In fact I was amazed at the overwhelming support for the colts from my FACEBOOK friends. Everyone picked the colts! However the team believed and played like they were winners. Even when the odds were against them in the first quarter when they were down by 10 points. What a great lesson for in perseverance.

What can lessons can the church learn from the Saints?

The experts don't know everything. All of the so called experts picked the colts, after all they had better players, a better system and a some thought a better QB; but the experts did not factor in heart and desire. Same for the church let's be honest, often times the world has better resources, but we can never forget what drives the the church is not our resources but our heart and desire to to see Christ exalted!

Unity is the key to victory. The Saints were united behind a common goal; win for the city N.O. Jesus revealed the importance of unity as the key to a positive testimony John 17:20-21. When we are united we have the opportunity to be victorious. The surest way to lose the victory is through "disunity"

Finally, the church needs to capture the passion of the Saints. If you followed the days before the super bowl as well as immediately after the game, you saw passion in the team, the fans and the city. From Who Dat to their party atmosphere on Bourbon Street, you could not miss the passion that was displayed by the saints. As believers we must be just as passionate about our team (the church).

The Saints were the true underdogs of the Super Bowl, no one expected a win, but we are different, for we are not underdogs, we are the victors in Christ Jesus.

Sunday Night Reflections

• We saw three more people join the Palm Bay Family today - this never gets old.
• I love cheering after a baptism!
• Started a new teaching series today; Leadership 101.
• Biblical leaders have but one agenda; advancing the cause of Christ.
• I was very serious about the need to pray for the men whom you select for elders of your church.
• Being an elder is not an office to hold, but a ministry to fulfill.
• I would take 2 spiritual men over 10 smart men to lead a church any day.
• Florida Christian College called a new president to the lead the school yesterday; I am looking forward to see God work through this man's life.
• The PBCC ladies make some GOOOOOOOOOOOOD Chili
• New Website launches next Monday (February 15) I have seen the preview; it looks great.
• Want to read a good book on leadership? Check out Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan. I love the title, better yet I love the insights.
• Congratulations to Connor W. for receiving the God and Me award this morning.
• I like pulling for the underdog, but I think the colts have too many horses for the saints today.
• My Favorite Superbowl Snack; Wings!
• I wonder who will have the best super bowl commercial tonight?

Early Morning

Today I had a couple of meetings in Kissimmee which required me to be on the road at 6:30 in the morning. As I was traveling across rural Brevard and Osceola Counties on the way to Florida Christian College, I saw two things that took my breath away. The first was the sunrise in my rear view mirror (I was traveling west). Too often we take something that happens everyday for granted, but today I was reminded that though the sun rises every morning, each day we have a new opportunity to see God's handiwork. This brings me to the second item; about 7:20 this morning I saw a Bald Eagle in full flight - I have to admit I was pretty stoked. While I have seen many pictures and video clips of eagles in flight and in my office I have several eagles on display; pictures, figurines etc. I have to admit I was struck by the majesty of the eagle in flight. Now it is rare for me to be traveling at 6:30 in the morning, but I could not help but think how thankful I was to see God's handiwork in the flight of the eagle.

Everyday we have a chance to see the common (sunrise) and the uncommon (an eagle in flight). Let us not take for granted the opportunities to see God's creation all around us. I hope you see God, both in the common and in the uncommon either at 6:30 in the morning or 6:30 in the evening!

Open Doors

I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. Revelation 3:8

We often speak of open doors as opportunities before us. What makes this promise so incredible is our Lord says that He has placed an open door before us that no one can shut. In other words when God gives the opportunity he gives us the capacity to meet that opportunity. In other words, when God gives the vision he makes the provision.

Everyday God places opportunities before us, through the people we meet the events we attend and the words we speak. The key is to be sensitive to the opportunities before us. A generation ago a popular song encouraged us to stop and smell the roses, the idea was for each of us to slow down and appreciate the little things in this life. Well things have not slowed down in the 21st century, we are still a hurried people. One of the dangers of our "hurriedness" (not sure if "hurriedness" is a word but I am sure hurriedness is a condition many of us suffer from) is that we often miss the open doors God has placed before us. My challenge to you today is to look for an open door and once you find it go ahead and go through it - God has a great work he wants to do in your life beyond the open door.

Fresh Bread

One of the most difficult aspects of preaching is to offer a new word or perspective on familiar passages of scripture, especially around the Christmas and Easter season. It is my desire to offer "fresh bread" each week as I stand in the pulpit. In my opinion there is no greater smell or taste than that of fresh bread. When I was in college studying for the ministry, there was a bread factory about a mile from the school. Occasionally, when the wind was just right we would get a whiff of the smell of the sweet aroma of fresh bread. Believe me, there was nothing like it! What makes fresh bread so satisfying is that it takes time to prepare, bake and rise. Once fresh bread is offered to us we simply find it irresistible.

As a preacher I want the words I speak to have that same impact. When the Word of God is offered like fresh bread, it has the ability to transform and satisfy like no other.

There are some valuable benefits to serving fresh bread each week;

• Fresh bread helps the church grow in spiritual maturity.
• Fresh bread helps the minister to grow personally.
• Fresh bread honors Christ.
• Fresh bread pleases God.

In a world that is so accustomed to quick fixes and instant answers i.e., like "Brown and Serve" rolls, may we as preachers be willing to spend the time to prepare and offer fresh bread each week.

When we deliver fresh bread we honor the words of Jeremiah 15:19 (nlt), If we speak good (fresh) words rather than worthless ones you will be my spokesman.

So this week, prepare, bake and let the word rise!

So It Begins

After reading more blogs than I can count, I have decided to jump into the world of blogging. I will us this blog to share my thoughts, reflections and perspectives of ministry in the local church.

Having served as a minister for 29 years, I have to admit I have experienced a lot of things in the local church; some things are hilarious a few have been heartbreaking. Some things make me wonder "what was I or what were you/we/they thinking"? Still other things make me say "that is a great idea". While there are many ups and downs in serving in a local church I can honestly say it is never boring.

Hopefully the items I will share will be an encouragement to you. So it begins!